Rabbi Duplicates Himself in Music Video to Add Harmony

For many, upon entering a synagogue during prayer, one is struck by the inspiring prayers, interspersed with beautiful songs and melodies.

But Rabbi Shmuli Stiefel, a Shliach in Lipetsk, Russia, struggled to reproduce that atmosphere in his Shul.

“I wondered how I could create that atmosphere,” he told COLlive, “if the crowd is unfamiliar with the lyrics and tunes?”

To address this, Stiefel has begun a new project – producing videos of various Jewish melodies and prayers which are sung in synagogues the world over.

Each week, Stiefel releases one song from the prayer book in a format conducive to singing along. The video will be captioned, and together with it, there will be a transcription of the lyrics in Russian, explanation and background of the song in Russian, and musical notes.

“Listeners can learn the songs so that they can sing in together with the congregation and turn their synagogues into that same beautiful and inspiring atmosphere!” Stiefel says.

This week, in the 5th video of the series, Stiefel presents the prayer “Hu Elokeinu.”

Hu Elokeinu is recited during the musaf prayer on Shabbat morning. This particular tune was sung by the famous Chassidic cantor, the Chassid Reb Yechiel Hacohen Halpern during the High Holidays, in the time of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Ber Schneersohn (1860-1920) in the town on Lubavitch and later on, the city of Rostov.

The Rebbe taught the tune to his chassidim in NY on Simchas Torah, 1963. The lyrics convey steadfast belief and confidence in the imminent coming of Moshiach. This melody was one of the favorites of the Rebbe and frequently sung at chassidim gatherings.

VIDEO: Hu Elokeinu